PERTH, Australia 25 August 2022: Tourism Malaysia embarks on a roadshow to Australia this week to reconnect and create new partnerships with travel trade partners in enhancing opportunities to boost tourist arrivals to Malaysia.
Headed by Noor Azlan Abu Bakar, senior deputy director, International Promotion Division (Americas, Europe, & Oceania) Tourism Malaysia, the delegation consists of Pahang and Sabah state tourism boards, five travel operators, hoteliers and two medical tourism industry players.
The Malaysian sellers and Australian buyers participate in travel mart sessions, destination presentations, and networking dinners in the cities of Perth, Melbourne and Sydney. The roadshow is organised by Tourism Malaysia and supported by Malaysia Airlines.
Noor Azlan said: “We are excited to re-establish networking after a two-year hiatus to drive travel interest to Malaysia. This roadshow presents a platform for Malaysian partners to share their latest offerings, and we look forward to strengthening business relationships with our Australian counterparts.
“Australia remains a key market for Malaysia. In 2019, we welcomed 368,281 arrivals from Australia, and more than 80 per cent of Australian tourists came to Malaysia for holidays.”
Malaysia has relaxed the entry procedures for fully-vaccinated travellers without requirements to undergo quarantine or pre-departure and on-arrival Covid-19 tests, including children aged 17 and below.
(Source: Bernama)
Travel insurance is also not a prerequisite for foreigners entering Malaysia, and inbound travellers no longer need to fill in the Traveller’s Card on the country’s contact tracing app, MySejahtera.
Malaysia’s latest attractions include the newly opened outdoor theme park in the highlands – Genting SkyWorld, and the magnificent Merdeka 118 Tower in Kuala Lumpur, the world’s second-tallest building.
There are currently 121 weekly direct flights from Australia to Malaysia via Malaysia Airlines, Air Asia and Batik Air, with a seating capacity of 31,600.
DELHI, 25 August 2022: Vistara, a joint venture airline owned by Tata group and Singapore Airlines, confirms it will start nonstop daily flights between Mumbai and Abu Dhabi, UAE, effective 1 October 2022.
The airline will operate daily flights between the two cities using its A320neo aircraft. Bookings for the flights are being progressively opened on all channels, including Vistara’s website, mobile app, and travel agents.
Vistara, chief executive officer Vinod Kannan said: “We are delighted to expand our presence in the UAE, with a second Emirate, and offer the choice of flying India’s best airline on one of the busiest international routes from India. We are confident that greater connectivity between Mumbai and Abu Dhabi will complement the growing trade and tourism between the two countries. We are certain that customers from India and the UAE will appreciate experiencing our award-winning product and services on the route.”
Vistara complies with all eligible customers meeting visa/entry requirements in both countries, as specified by the respective government bodies and encourages customers to fully understand these guidelines before booking.
Introductory all-inclusive, round-trip fares are as follows:
Sector
Economy
Premium Economy
Business
Mumbai – Abu Dhabi – Mumbai
INR 17,749
INR 22,949
INR 45,949
Abu Dhabi – Mumbai – Abu Dhabi
AED 799
AED 1,199
AED 3,999
Schedule of flights to/from Abu Dhabi, UAE, effective from 1 October 2022:
Sector
Flight No.
Days of Operation
Departure
Arrival
Mumbai – Abu Dhabi
UK 0255
Daily
1910 Hrs
2040 Hrs
Abu Dhabi – Mumbai
UK 0256
Daily
2140 Hrs
0235 Hrs (+1)
* All timings shown are in local time zones*+1 indicates next day arrival
SINGAPORE, 25 August 2022: Singapore is the top coastal destination in Asia to relocate to, according to new research from money.co.uk.
Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo all made it to the top 10 coastal cities, with Singapore coming in at third place below the top destination Miami and second-placed San Francisco.
The research by the mortgage experts at money.co.uk analysed 50 of the highest-rated coastal cities in the world on factors such as average salary, average annual temperature and rainfall, life expectancy and average download speeds to reveal the best coastal places to relocate to in the world.
With millions of Brits dreaming of a life outside the UK, the new research reveals the world’s best coastal cities to relocate to, and surprise, there was only one Spanish destination, Barcelona, ranked eighth in the top 10.
If you want to relocate somewhere where you can enjoy the fresh sea air, then Miami just pips San Francisco, with a relocation score of 6.72. Miami has been named the best coastal city to live in. Known for its stunning beaches with an average sea temperature of 26.3°C, it has the edge over the colder waters of California.
San Francisco comes in second here, with a relocation score of 6.44 out of 10, as the city itself isn’t mainly known for its beaches and climate, with calmer winds than Miami. However, it’s still a great city, topping the rankings for nature & parks and download speeds.
In third place is the city-state of Singapore, which has the warmest average sea temperatures of any city in this ranking at 29.1°C, and an overall relocation score of 6.39. Singapore is diverse and has a thriving expatriate community with many British families calling it home.
More study insights
The relocation destination with the warmest weather is Dubai, UAE, with an average annual temperature of 28.2ºC.
Abu Dhabi, also in the UAE, is the relocation destination with the lowest amount of average yearly rainfall at 42mm.
Miami, USA, has the highest number of restaurants at 900 restaurants per 100,000 people.
The best-connected relocation destination is San Francisco, California, with average download speeds of 213.97 MB/s. The Californian city is also the best city for earnings, with an average salary of USD99,954, as well as ranking as the top relocation destination with an overall relocation score of 7.76
Atlanta, USA, is the best relocation destination for job opportunities, with 65,781 job listings per 100,000 people.
BANGKOK, 25 August 2022: Bangkok Airways will resume daily flights from Bangkok to Danang in central Vietnam starting 1 September after almost a two-year pause.
Danang is the gateway coastal city known for its economic, commercial and investment hub of Central Vietnam. It is also just a short drive to famous beach resorts, golf courses and the ancient town of Hoi An, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To the north, the coastal highway and railway take you to the former Imperial city of Hue, the home of the last Vietnamese emperor.
Bangkok Airways confirmed earlier this week it will resume daily direct flights using an Airbus A320 between Bangkok (Suvarnabhumi) to Danang starting 1 September 2022 onwards.
Flight Schedule from Bangkok to Danang PG947 departs Bangkok at 1055 and arrives in Danang at 1245.
Flight Schedule from Danang to Bangkok PG948 departs Danang at 1335 and arrives at 1525.
BANGKOK, 25 August 2022: Thai Smile Airways Company Limited confirmed earlier this week the appointment of a senior THAI Airways International executive, Thamanoon Kuprasert, as acting chief executive officer effective 8 August.
According to the Thai Smile media statement released on 22 August, he is concurrently performing the duties of the chief commercial officer. He takes over the CEO’s role at Thai Smile following a four-month stint as THAI Airways International Airways’ head of domestic. Before that, he held the post of head of sales agencies at the national airline for over 19 years.
According to his Linkedin summary, he headed sales and marketing at a managerial level for THAI in various countries such as South Korea, India, Russia, South Africa and Italy, “handling sales revenue of approximately THB2,500 million annually.”
According to the Thai Smile statement, the immediate challenges are to “strengthen pricing, sales, marketing and digital transformation.” Other priorities are to seek new partners and conclude an urgent study on opening new routes in the Greater Mekong Subregion, the Indian subcontinent and boost domestic flights in Thailand to support tourism recovery.
Thamanoon takes over the top job at Thai Smile from Viset Sontichai, who was appointed acting chief executive officer effective 28 August 2021. He also wore two hats, one for the CEO and the other for the chief commercial officer’s duties.
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam, 24 August 2022: ITE HCMC 2022 – the largest international tourism event in Vietnam and Greater Mekong Sub-region, will take place from 8 to 10 September at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre in Ho Chi Minh City.
After a two-year pause, ITE HCMC 2022 has high expectations that it can reconnect and promote inbound tourism to Vietnam and the Mekong sub-region.
ITE HCMC 2022 – the largest international tourism event in Vietnam and the Mekong sub-region, will happen from 08 – 10 September at Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Domestic tourism has almost fully recovered in recent months, but international travel to Vietnam still lags far behind the country’s 2019 performance.
The show will attract thousands of domestic and international delegates representing national tourism offices, travel agencies, airlines, hotels, resorts and industry experts from 41 provinces and cities in Vietnam and 10 countries and territories.
ITE HCMC is the only international tourism event in Vietnam that organises a hosted buyer programme which guarantees that at least 150 international travel buyers from major tour operators from 18 countries will attend.
The 16th ITE HCMC promises to deliver more than 6,000 B2B meetings between buyers and exhibitors. Over the three days, the show will attract more than 22,000 visitors, including 10,000 trade visitors and 12,000 travel consumers who will visit the event on the last day.
Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism director Nguyen Thi Anh Hoa commented: “As the leading international tourism event, ITE HCMC 2022 is constantly improving in terms of scale and quality to promote domestic and international tourism. Ho Chi Minh City is privileged to be the host city for the Asia and Oceania Gala Ceremony of World Travel Award 2022. This reinforces the position of Ho Chi Minh City on the world map of tourism.”
GEORGE TOWN, Penang, 24 August 2022: Penang Convention and Exhibition Bureau (PCEB) organised a networking event, ‘Siren Night’, for the medical associations in Penang earlier this week.
State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy, Yeoh Soon Hin, opened the networking event attended by various medical association members, professional conference organisers (PCO), and destination management companies based in Penang.
The event aimed to present PCEB’s latest initiatives to draw international medical conferences to Penang and provide information to medical associations on their role in winning conference bids.
“Penang is one of Southeast Asia’s leading medical tourism destinations due to its stellar infrastructure, facilities, and skilled healthcare providers. This positions Penang as a highly regarded venue for international medical conferences. To date, we have supported close to 57 medical conferences in Penang. And moving forward, we are shifting up a gear to full throttle to bring more medical conferences to Penang,” said PCEB CEO Ashwin Gunasekeran.
“While medical tourists seek to improve their health, they also have the opportunity to relax and explore places they have never been before,” said Yeoh Soon Hin in his welcoming speech. “Penang always strives to offer the best hospitality for travellers in terms of culture, heritage, nature, and not to forget, the amazing gastronomic experience.”
The state is also giving extra incentives and support to accelerate the growth of medical in Penang and, through PCEB, is collaborating with medical associations and industry partners to position Penang as the preferred destination for medical conferences.
BANGKOK, 24 August 2022: Absolute Hotel Services promotes Karan Kaul to the post of deputy CEO & head of business development, starting 1 September 2022.
Kaul joined Absolute Hotel Services in 2020 as vice president of business development directing the group’s growth worldwide. In this new role, he will oversee the business development and technical services team’s activities and productivity in all locations.
Photo Credit: AHS. Karan Kaul shifts to the deputy CEO role.
“We are delighted to promote Karan to this new role. We are confident he will significantly contribute to the Absolute Hotel Services Group’s growth strategy and performance,” said AHS founder and CEO Jonathan Wigley.
Absolute Hotel Services confirmed the senior management appointment in a social media post on Facebook and Linkedin.
Last week, Absolute Hotel Services confirmed the launch of Absolute Hotel Services’ white label management portfolio branded Absolute Collection starting with the signing of Paasha Atelier Bali in Indonesia. The inaugural project focuses on the redevelopment of an existing resort in Kuta which will be relaunched as Paasha Atelier Bali following a renovation targetted for completion by the end of the year.
HONG KONG 24 August 2022: With the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival starting next month, the world’s leading business jet aircraft operator VistaJet is partnering with some of the world’s leading hotels and tour operators to create five distinctive travel experiences to celebrate the full-moon festival.
The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, is a traditional festival celebrated in Chinese culture. Similar holidays are celebrated in Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and other East and Southeast Asia countries. This year the full moon festival falls on 10 September.
In Pursuit of the Moon Queen
In Southeast Asia, VistaJet curates a tour, “In Pursuit of the Moon Queen”, where you will fly from Kuala Lumpur – on board one of VistaJet’s super-premium business jets to the far eastern Indonesian city of Ambon: the gateway to some of the most amazing, secluded and beautiful parts of Indonesia.
From Ambon, guests will board a superyacht and explore the Spice Islands in search of Yoisi, the Moon Queen in Javanese mythology, and then explore Raja Ampat, an archipelago of tiny jungle islands within a beautiful and diverse marine ecosystem. The trip ends in Sumatra, where guests can participate in a project to protect the last majestic tigers of Sumatra in a private conservation area in the Sumatran rain forest.
VistaJet claims to be the first and only global business aviation company to present five distinctive full moon experiences in 2022. The other four highlight China, Greece, the Lost City of the Incas and the Tsukimi cultural experience in Japan.
Moonlight Staycations in China: The House Collective
To celebrate the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival, VistaJet offers a series of luxurious staycations with The House Collective, a group of refined, highly individual properties (The Opposite House in Beijing, The Upper House in Hong Kong, The Temple House in Chengdu and The Middle House in Shanghai).
Mooncakes are a signature delicacy of the annual festival. The House Collective will curate mooncake pairing experiences tailored to the preferences of VistaJet members. It will include a cocktail masterclass experience with the mixologist from Salisterra at The Upper House. Other highlights of the tour include the Michelin-starred restaurant at The Opposite House in Beijing, Chengdu Panda Base and culture tours with The Temple House, along with an intimate sanctuary at The Middle House in the heart of Shanghai.
Full Moon Adventures with Ariodante The Oracles in Greece
Billed a “magical and thrilling adventure under the auspice of Selena, the goddess of the moon,” history blends with Greek mythology.
This two-week trip, by land and sea across the Greek regions of Epirus, Peloponnese and Attica, enables VistaJet members to walk in the footsteps of the Greek gods, heroes and historical figures like Homer Pythia, the priestess of Delphi, Aristotle. Alongside archaeologists, historians and artists, visit places not accessible to the public, museums, historical sites, and even see the gates to the underworld.
Through exclusive visits and private gastronomic experiences, guests share an incredible journey ending with a private artistic performance in a UNESCO site where ancient Greek and Chinese poetry and divination come together under the full moon. Key destinations include Athens, Ioannina, Corfu, Nafplion, Porto-Heli and Epidaurus.
Lost City of the Incas
It’s an invitation to embark on an awe-inspiring adventure to discover the Inca civilisation, the largest empire in pre-Columbian America, from the origins of their empire to their annihilation by the Spanish conquistadors in 1572. During this three-week journey in search of the Lost City of the Incas, VistaJet members will discover the civilisation from which the Incas descended, the remains of the empire and other incredible sites, including the rainbow mountain, the mummies of Arequipa, the condors of Colca Valley and the mysterious Nazca lines. Other exciting activities include flying over the Sacred Valley of the Incas in a hot air balloon, diving into Lake Titicaca, accessing secretive historical places, and sharing an extraordinary display of Chinese lanterns in Machu Pichu under the full moon with your family.
Key destinations include La Paz, Tiwanaku, Lake Titicaca (island of the sun and island of the moon), Raqchi Archaeological Park, Vinicuna, Sacred Valley (Aguas Calientes, Moray, Ollantaytambo, Machu Picchu, Cusco), Arequipa, Colca Valley, Nazca, Vilcabamba and Lima.
A Refined Tsukimi in Japan
During Tsukimi in Japan, family and friends gather under the full moon with seasonal food and sake as offerings to the moon, traditionally as a prayer for a good harvest. VistaJet’s version of Tsukimi brings members to Japan, following the moon’s phases to create refined Kaisekis (traditional Japanese multi-course dinner) at every step. The trip will culminate in an extraordinary private ceremony to the full moon held in one of Japan’s most beautiful temples with an unseen dance and taiko performance.
Along the journey, guests will discover the three classical Japanese arts of refinement (kadō — the way of flowers, kōdō — the way of fragrance, and chadō — the way of tea) in iconic private locations such as Imperial Villa, an ancient temple, and the home of a distinguished art collector. Discover Japanese calligraphy on the floor elevated into pure art with one of the most renowned Japanese calligraphy artists and enjoy a refined saké tasting with the Geishas in Kyoto.
This is a sophisticated 10-day-long voyage through Japan’s ancient traditions, history, philosophy and arts. A one-of-a-kind voyage links the origins of Japan by meeting with the country’s oldest tribe, the Ainu people. Guests explore the ruins of Asuka (the Imperial capital from 538 to 710 AD) and sites such as Engaku-Ji, Eikando and Toshogu.
BANGKOK, 24 August 2022: AirAsia Super App introduces its ‘Super Travel Fest’, promising price deals from more than 700 partner airlines worldwide and more than 700,000 hotels.
Flight bookings are open for just three days, on 23 to 25 August for the latest promotions that focuses on hotel deals in destinations across Southeast Asia.
AirAsia Super App chief commercial officer Tan Mai Yin
The AirAsia Super App provides top-rated hotel deals for travellers across Southeast Asia, such as Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Bali, Phuket and Boracay. Prices start at THB799 per night throughout the promotion, available for bookings for just one hour daily (1100 to 1200) from 23 to 25 August.
AirAsia Super App chief commercial officer Tan Mai Yin said: ” As a leading provider of hotel reservations and travel services, We are ready to make every promotion of SUPER Travel Fest unique for customers. And this time, the highlight is a special hotel booking deal on hotels in ASEAN such as Kuala Lumpur, Langkawi, Bali, Phuket and Boracay. We also have more than 700,000 hotels worldwide that you can book through the AirAsia Super App. We work closely with airline and hotel partners to drive tourism back on track. “
